2013-02-19

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The Daily Texan Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

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INSIDE

Faculty Council passes legislation opposing campus carry similar to a bill it passed in the last two legislative sessions. PAGE 6

SPORTS Texas diver Will Chandler battles through Crohn’s disease, an ailment that kept him out of the pool all of last season, but not this year. PAGE 7 The Longhorns have yet to win a road game, but get what could be their best chance at picking one up against TCU. PAGE 7

dailytexanonline.com

Sherwood Forest Faire still going strong in fourth year.

NEWS Barbara Jordan Week kicks off with discussion featuring her former students. PAGE 6

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Texas looks to maintain pitching prowess vs. UTA SPORTS PAGE 7

LIFE&ARTS PAGE 12

UNIVERSITY

CITY

Lawmakers defend Powers

Local church joins group advocating gay rights

By Joshua Fechter At a time of strain between President William Powers Jr. and members of the UT System Board of Regents, Texas lawmakers defended Powers’ record and heaped praise upon him at a ceremony on the floor of the Texas Senate on Monday.

State Sen. Kevin Eltife, RTyler, filed a Senate resolution honoring Powers, joining two more resolutions filed in the House by state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas and chairman of the House Higher Education Committee. All three passed. Eltife, a UT alumnus, said “I see a man [in Powers] who shares the love for

the University that so many of the current students and former students have for this great institution. I see a man who always puts the University first, someone who stands up for what he believes even if it may not be politically popular.” The resolutions came after regents intensely questioned Powers during their

Feb. 13 meeting. The majority of the questions came primarily from three regents: Alex Cranberg, Wallace Hall and Brenda Pejovich, each appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in 2011, which marked the beginning of a more public opposition to Powers by the regents.

POWERS continues on page 2

FRAMES | FEAtuREd photo

Texas hit .348 in its season-opening series and will look to stay hot against UTArlington. PAGE 8

LIFE&ARTS Austin Java transforms into a comedy club every Wednesday night. PAGE 12 Tunesday takes a look at STRFKR’s latest album, Miracle Mile, as well as other new releases. PAGE 12

VIEWPOINT The Daily Texan, a 113-year-old campus institution, faces life-ordeath financial troubles. The newspaper’s student staff and the Texan’s readers and supporters must step up and take the newspaper’s destiny into their own hands. PAGE 4

TODAY Office Space Swap out unwanted office suplies from 9 a.m. to noon and pick up ones you may need from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at this special recycling event in the Anna Hiss Gym (AHG) 135. Elder justice Marie-Therese Connolly presents an address titled “How Change Happens: The Fight for Elder Justice in the U.S.” with a reception following, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the School of Law (CCJ), Eidman Courtroom 2.306. Money Talks! Money Talks! presents Beto Pallares, cofounder of a seed and earlystage venture fund, for a talk from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Food and drinks will follow the program in the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center (ATT) 201.

Sam Ortega | Daily Texan Staff Various dancers of mixed abilities rehearse at Anna Hiss Gym on Monday evening. The performers are working on a dance piece choreographed and written by dance and theatre major Lucy Kerr, that incorporates people with and without dance abilities.

By Hannah Jane DeCiutiis While several state senators continue to advocate for LGTBQ rights in the Texas Legislature, similar support for religious equality has become more apparent in Christian churches nationwide. In an overwhelming majority, congregation members of the First United Methodist Church, or FUMC, voted to join the Reconciling Ministries Network. The network, founded in 1982, advocates for the rights of gay individuals to serve in United Methodist ministry and be married in the church. The vote took place Feb. 10, making the church, which is located on Lavaca Street, one of more than 500 United Methodist communities to advocate for religious gay rights, according to the Reconciling Ministries Network website. FUMC senior pastor Rev. John Wright said the vote required more than 75 percent of the congregation voting in favor to join the network, rather than a simple majority. He said the actual vote surpassed the requirement by far. “For six months we have been in an intense process of discussion and discernment trying to make sure that everyone had an opportunity to be exposed to the issue and to voice their opinions,” Wright

CHURCH continues on page 2

UNIVERSITY

CAMPUS

New disclosure policies bring privacy concerns

Gun bill elicits mixed views

By Jordan Rudner On the heels of two controversies involving conflicts of interest in research in the past year, UT has amended its financial conflict of interest and objectivity in research policy. Juan Sanchez, vice president for research, spoke at length about changes in UT’s policy at a Faculty Council meeting Monday. Sanchez said the changes were not the result of any action taken by UT but instead were instituted by the UT System. “The change in policy was prompted by changes in regulations by the Public Health Services, which include the National Institutes of Health, and by the guidelines issued by the UT System,” Sanchez said. “No one at UT-Austin had a say in this new policy, but I would imagine the justification used on the federal level was used by our regents, to protect the proper use of university and federal resources.” In July, a study on gay parenting by sociology professor

Juan Sanchez Vice President for research

Mark Regnerus garnered controversy after critics pointed out that the study was funded by The Witherspoon Institute and The Bradley Foundation, two conservative groups. In December, the director of UT’s Energy Institute, Raymond Orbach, resigned and geology professor Chip Groat retired after it was discovered that Groat published a study that found no link between hyrdaulic fracturing and water contamination, but did not disclose he sat on the board of directors of a drilling company. The new conflict of interest

PRIVACY continues on page 5

By Klarissa Fitzpatrick

Students debating on whether concealed weapons would create a safer environment at UT revealed the deep discord over the benefits of concealed handguns on campus. Law professor Sanford Levinson and Sherri Greenberg, director of the Center for Politics Governance, moderated the “Gun Control, Mental Health, and the Law” forum Monday, where students discussed the impossibility of finding an effective solution to the issues surrounding gun control laws. The introduction of a bill in the Texas Legislature to allow concealed handguns on campus has almost made “guns on campus” a loaded term, Danny Zeng, the vice president of College Republicans, said. “I don’t think we’re really introducing anything new here,” Zeng said. “Guns are, in a way, already on campus. If you’re a licensed CHL holder, you’re allowed to carry your gun on public streets like Dean Keeton and 21st Street.” Only 5 percent of CHL

Austin McKinney | Daily Texan Staff A student participates in the gun forum open discussion at the Student Activity Center on Monday evening.

carriers fall in the 18- to 25-year-old category, Zeng said, making an influx of guns on campus unlikely. Educating students on mental health services available may provide better protection than allowing concealed handguns on campus, undeclared freshman Rishi Singh said. “I can understand the logic of wanting a CHL but I can’t understand why a student would need a handgun,” Singh said. “While I’m in a classroom, safety shouldn’t be a main priority, safety should be left up to the University. So it shouldn’t be up to a

student to protect themselves or to protect the lives of other people in the classroom.” Gun owners’ constitutional rights are not threatened by any proposed gun control law, Levinson said. “None of [the gun control bills] raise constitutional issues,” Levinson said. “All raise interesting issues of policy on which reasonable people can disagree.” While no legislation will eliminate gun crime, it is important to focus on legislation that can make a difference, Greenberg, a former member

GUN continues on page 6

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